Sunday, 12 September 2010

Cooking Class for Cooks

I've just come back from a French cooking class.

6 of us gathered together at 10am this morning. All girls. All with "starving" men at home. One girl had actually been given the class by her boyf as a birthday present. I spotted him just before we begun, kissing her goodbye before hastily running off to get his hair cut. Well they do say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Anyway, there we were, a Scott, a Canadian, an American, a Frog and me. And, of course, the French chef and his Sri Lankan sidekick, Jaguar. No I didn't make his name up.

So, aprons on and the class begins. Chef thinks outloud as he throws ingredients together and adds odds and ends to our mixtures. Questions asked in English are ignored and anything referring to measurements or quantities are answered with a shrug and a huffing sound. Other questions considered too silly to answer include where to buy the lamb we were making, "ziz is a restaurrant, we ave a supplier", do you have this recipe written down anywhere "mais non" shrug and, can I beat this in a blender, "Aie aie aie, t'es americaine ou quoi??!"

So, with much follow-the-leadering, secret additions from le chef and fetching-and-getting by Jaguar, lunch was made. And wolfed down by the girlies. Sorry boys.

Remove fatPaper towel dryCut in halfOlive oil in panPepper and dried thymeHot panFry on outside in small batchesSage and thyme (dry)Put in oven at 180c or let sit

Lamb

Cherry tomatoesCut in halvesAdd olive oilSugar

Stick in ovenCaramelize

Ratatouille (ziz we learn in anozer class if we want)

Profiteroles

Warm water (2 cups)Butter (1 cup)Pinch saltTsp sugarLet butter melt in hot waterAdd 1 cup flour once butter is boiling (take off flame)MixPut on lowwww flame and knead until it's no longer stickyAdd three eggs and knead until you get ribbons (keep adding eggs until you get ribbons)Pipe onto baking sheet

Pastry

Ribbons

Piping

200 c slightly open open ( to let steam out). 20 min. Then close and reduce to 170c and let dry 20 mins

Chocolate sauceBlack chocolate (72%)Put in 1 cm waterMeltDon't burnAdd water to make a little runny